Is there such thing as an elephant and a hippopotumus mix?

Question

I heard it from the history channel.

Answer 1

No.  Elephants and hippos are genetically incompatible.  They can not mate and produce offspring.  Neither can an elephant and a rhino.  In fact, African elephants and Indian elephants are not cross fertile.  There has been the very rare mixed calf, but the genes of these two species are different enough that they are mostly infertile.  Different species would have to be extremely closely related to be able to reproduce with each other.  Hybrids are a rarity.

Answer 2

elephino (h**l-if-i-know)

Thats a cross between an elephant and a rinosoraus

Answer 3

nonononononononononono! hewever gave you this idiea is as stuped as a penut

Answer 4

Are you sure you heard correctly? I can't imagine the History Channel coming out with something that ridiculous. In order for two species to interbreed, they must be closely related - usually within the same genus, and certainly within the same family. Even then, the offspring are almost always sterile. Elephants and hippos are far too different to be able to breed - they are not only in different families, but different orders. An elephant sperm could not fertilize a hippo egg or vice versa.

Answer 5

In the wild, no. There is no such thing as an elephant and a hippopotamus mix. But it could potentially be possible to create one by breeding the two different species together. The offspring of two different species is called a hybrid, and is often named by combining the names of the parents. The "liger" for example is a mix between a lion and a tiger. However, hybrids are always male and are never fertile. Hope that helps!

Answer 6

I don't know why, but I feel like you're referencing the Manatee.

Not that that's a mix, but if you were casually watching it (and I'm not saying you were, but I'm just throwing out a possibility), you might have heard that the Manatee is taxonomically related to the Elephant (they had a common ancestor), and maybe heard of a comparison to a hippopotamus in some regard or other (grazing underwater, for instance).

But as for an actual mix of the two...well, they are very different species.  They don't even share a common ancestor.  Elephants are thought to be related to hyraxes and manatees, while hippos are thought related to whales and porpoises.